The all-in-one monitor and computer design is an Apple hallmark, going back to the first Macintosh in 1984, Ives said. When interim Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs approached the design team one year ago to talk about building what would become the iMac, he was clear he wanted to build on this historic form while at the same time updating it, Ives said.

On Steve Jobs’ hands on approach at Apple:

“One thing most people don’t know is that Steve Jobs is an exceptional designer,” he said. Jobs was involved throughout iMac’s entire design life cycle, which Ives called “a vigorous intellectual process.” A small team of designers worked like maniacs for several months to come up with the design, which was largely informed by what consumers wanted, he said.